The UFC comes back to Miami for another outstanding card filled with fan favorite fighters, veterans, prospects, and even some controversial figures. It seems that week by week, each card outdoes the last, and UFC 327 put on some fights for the ages with pure demolitions and all-out wars to one of the wildest title fight finishes fans have seen in a long time.
UFC 327 Recap:
Cub Swanson vs Nate Landwehr: Featherweight
Cub Swanson yet again has a vintage performance with his deconstruction of Nate Landwehr in the very first round. Swanson has been in the game for a long time and has had some outstanding performances throughout his UFC run. There was no better way to send him off to retirement than to do what he did in just four minutes into the opening round. His striking looked as sharp as ever, and he could not miss with some of his punches.
A big left hand would sit Landwehr down with two minutes to go in the round, and Swanson smelled blood in the water. Cub continued to land and knocked down Landwehr once again. Nate managed to get back up, but not for long, and another right hand from Swanson came over the top and put the finishing touches on the fight. An amazing night for one of the most staple veterans in the UFC as he finishes his career with a record of 31-14.
Dominick Reyes vs Johnny Walker: Light Heavyweight
Dominick Reyes squeezed out a win over Johnny Walker via split decision in a fight that could have gone any way. With the talent and finishing ability of these two, many fans thought that this fight might not go the distance. Both are strikers with power behind them, as well as being well-rounded.
The fight didn’t play out as many thought it would, though. It seemed at times like both men knew the danger the other posed and were hesitant to pull the trigger. Walker threw a couple of his unorthodox strikes to try and get something going, but no one was home. It became a fencing-type fight where both were striking to gain points but not to finish the other. Nonetheless, though, Reyes did enough to edge out the win and get back in the win column as he looks to get back towards the top of the light heavyweight ranks.
Curtis Blaydes vs Josh Hokit: Heavyweight
Josh Hokit has quickly become one of the most controversial and villainized fighters in the UFC, and he had only had two fights up until this one. He puts on an old-fashioned WWE wrestler persona while cutting promos and doing outlandish antics nonstop. This has made him loved and hated by many fans, but the one thing no one can say about him is that he can’t fight or lacks heart.
Curtis Blaydes and Josh Hokit put on one of the wildest and most entertaining fights in the history of the heavyweight division. From the very beginning, Hokit continued his antics by taunting Blaydes, but within minutes dropped him with a big shot. Hokit tried to follow up, but Blaydes recovered well and landed some massive shots back in an exchange between the two. This was really much how the fight went for the full 15 minutes. A slugfest from start to finish, and a miracle that nobody got knocked out because the damage that both men took would leave almost anyone unconscious.
This is the type of fight that, when you show new people the sport of MMA, it hooks them in for life. Hokit in the end did enough to get the unanimous decision win over Blaydes and will now face Derrick Lewis and the highly anticipated White House Card in June. With a win over the all-time leader in knockouts, he could fast-track his way to a potential title shot in the future. Fans will have to wait and see what Hokit does next.
Azamat Murzakanov vs Paulo Costa: Light Heavyweight
Paulo Costa turned back the clock with his round three knockout of the #6-ranked light heavyweight in Azamat Murzakanov. Costa moved up to the division from Middleweight and looks as dangerous as he ever has. His striking was on point, especially his kicks, which gave Murzakanov problems all night and would eventually be his downfall.
Costa came out hot in the first round and kept range well with some brutal body kicks while not allowing Murzakanov to get going. He started to gas out a little bit in the second, and Azamat took advantage by pushing the pressure and landing some big strikes of his own, even stunning Costa at one point, but Costa survived.
In the third round, Costa caught a massive second wind and hunted a finish. He would throw head kick after head kick, which couldn’t miss and stunned Murzakaov each time. This, mixed with some nice combinations, became too much for Aamat to handle, and one final head kick sent him to the canvas, securing a KO victory for Costa. Costa put the light heavyweight division on notice with this win, and he wants to quickly rise through the rankings, which he very well could after this performance.
Jiri Prochazka vs Carlos Ulberg: Light Heavyweight Championship
Carlos Ulberg won the belt in one of the most improbable ways imaginable with his round one KO over former champion Jiri Prochazka. On the other side of the coin, the loss for Prochazka was heartbreaking for him and his fans, which is why MMA is the most unpredictable and wild sport on earth. Truly, anything can happen, and this fight is a perfect example of why.
The fight started as any other fight normally does, with both fighters feeling each other out and throwing strikes here and there. Ulberg actually was attacking Jiri’s lead leg from the first second of the fight and was finding some success as well. As both men went to exchange for just minutes, however, Ulberg would step back and completely blow out his knee. This meant that for the remainder of the fight, he was a one-legged man. Prochazka did recognize what happened, and he continued to leg kick Ulberg, which made his knee buckle every time.
However, Prochazka did not go for an immediate finish or play it safe in what he would call “mercy” in his post-fight interview. This would come back to haunt him in the worst way possible, though, as he continued to put on some pressure and go in for a jab to a retreating Ulberg. As Jiri stepped in, Ulberg threw a counter left hook off one leg that dropped Prochazka badly. Adrenaline put the pain of Ulberg’s knee on hold as he would rain down ground and pound shots to Jiri that would put him out clean.
In what was sure to be a Prochazka victory and guaranteed win, if the fight had made it out of the first round due to a doctor’s stoppage. Ulberg pulled out a KO finish for the ages, which seemed like it was the end of his title journey. To have an injury this big and still find a way to make yourself a champion is a legacy-defining moment for Ulberg. For Prochazka, a heartbreaking loss that no one saw coming, but this is likely not the last time fans will see Jiri in a championship setting. Ulberg is now the light heavyweight champion but will likely have to vacate the title as he needs surgery and will be out until 2027. This leaves the division in a unique position, but there are a lot of contenders waiting for the chance to reach the top. Fans will have to wait and see.
